Utra-Climb: Mt. Nebo, King of the Wasatch

If you've ever cruised along I-15 in central Utah, you've surely noticed Mt. Nebo near the town of Nephi. At just under 12,000 feet, it rises above all other peaks in the Wasatch. And if you're like me, it can be a challenge to keep your car between the white lines as you carefully study the various canyons and ridges leading to the summit. There are many options to tackle this behemoth. I knew I had to take it on as an ultra-climb -- that is, start at the base of the mountain and use only human propulsion to get to the top.

Sticking to my bread-and-butter method, I decided to use a mountain bike/hiking combo. The plan was to start at the town of Mona (elevation 4970') situated due west of Nebo on the floor of Juab Valley. From there, I would bike up to the Nebo North Route trailhead where I would continue on foot. For the cycling route, I could have biked up Nephi Canyon, Payson Canyon, Santaquin Canyon, or Mona Pole Canyon. Mona Pole is the most direct, but after looking at the canyon's profile which indicated a 1000' per mile gain (!), I decided the gentler grades of Santaquin Canyon would be much more enjoyable. This proved to be an excellent choice as I later learned that the first 2 miles of Mona Pole Canyon really aren't bikeable in the uphill direction, and I also found out that the canyon is no picnic in the downhill direction either!

Lavender fields and Mona Reservoir near Mona.

Orchard sunrise near Santaquin.

Santaquin Canyon was a pleasure to bike up. There's a nice little creek, cool geology, and some very nice campsites, and it didn't seem as crowded as other Wasatch canyons. The running shoes strapped to the bike drew some funny stares, but doing this allowed me to wear a small hydration vest rather than a larger daypack.

Interesting folds in limestone beds of the Oquirrh Formation in Santaquin Canyon.

Upper Santaquin Canyon breaks out into beautiful open meadows with awesome views of the backside of the Wasatch. 

First view of Nebo from the paved Nebo Loop Road.

Upper east face of Mt Nebo from the Nebo Loop Road.

After a 27-mile bike ride with over 5000' of vertical, my legs were in no mood run up the Nebo trail. I could only manage to run the flats and downhills, otherwise it was a fast-paced hike.

The wildflowers, from the Mt. Nebo Trailhead to Wolf Pass, were just starting to peak during this mid-July adventure.

Ridge running at about the 9900-foot level.

Moving well on a short descent to Wolf Pass (10,600').  Nebo is in the distance.

Delicious trail near Wolf Pass.

Final approach to Mt. Nebo. The trail tends to braid out toward the final summit. My advice is to stay as close as possible to the central ridge where there is solid bedrock. Avoid trail branches that lead off the ridge and onto steep scree slopes -- one slip up there and it's game over.

Taking a break on the summit. The climb from the Nebo North Route trailhead was about 2.5 hours up and 1.5 hours down. With a 30-minute break on top, round-trip time was 4.5 hours. There was a guy and a gal running well that passed me at the summit--I'm guessing that their round-trip time was close to a blistering 3 hours.

View west toward the town of Mona and Juab Valley. Somewhere down there among the alfalfa fields is my car where I started.

360 panarama.

A couple of fast trail runners descend off of Mt Nebo. I kept up momentarily, but my legs were just to trashed to hang.

Northwestern face of Mt. Nebo from high in Mona Pole Canyon.

Bottom of Mona Pole Canyon. To save time, I blasted down Mona Pole Canyon back to my waiting car near Mona. This thing is not only STEEP but it is LOOSE! The last couple of miles felt like riding down a rock-laden stream bed pitched at 45 degrees. With a tired body and tired mind, it was a challenge to exit the canyon in one piece.

View of treeless Mount Nebo from my starting point on Old Highway 91 near Mona. Final numbers: 39-mile, 6000' vertical-gain bike ride; 10-mile, 4000' vertical hike/run. This took about 8.5 hours at a steady pace.